The present invention relates to an anti-friction bearing with a segmented cage, which is particularly useful for cylindrical roller bearings.
An anti-friction bearing of this type includes an outer ring, an inner ring inside the outer ring and a plurality of roller members, in the form, for example, of cylindrical rollers, disposed between the outer and inner rings which serve as the races for the rollers. An annular cage supports the rollers between the rings. The cage here under consideration is comprised of a plurality of individual box-shaped segments. Each of the segments, for example, may hold a single one of the rollers. To support each segment to the rings, it is provided with a plurality of holding noses in the form of radial projections which are received in one of the races.
Such an anti-friction bearing is known, for instance, from German Utility Model (Gebrauchsmuster) No. 79 14 789. That bearing has the disadvantage that the holding noses on the cage segments, which are snapped into the grooves of the inner-race ring, can break off at higher speeds of rotation as a result of the centrifugal force on the cage. Furthermore, the sliding properties of the cage segments cannot be optimized, and there is the danger that the holding noses will jam under load. Furthermore, it is necessary to adapt the cage segments in each case to the curvature of the race of the bearing. This requires separate injection molds for the cage segments for each size bearing.